Artillery projectiles typically are packed on wooden pallets in two rows of three, or six to a pallet. The weight of a loaded pallet ranges from 800 to 1,270 lbs. per pallet depending on the size of the projectiles. Currently a need exists for a manual means of moving the ammunition pallets from storage magazines into the firing battery or onto front line vehicles which take the projectiles to the weapon which will fire them. This movement or projectile pallets is usually required to remote storage sites which do not have access to mechanical forklifts. Also, a backup system for moving, storing and/or loading projectiles may be required in the event of a break down of mechanical equipment.
Commercially available hand trucks, typically used for transporting heavy loads, do not meet the specific requirements for moving the ammunition pallets. This is mainly because of the extreme weight of the loaded pallets (1,270 lbs. for 8" projectiles). Since one man would have a great deal of difficulty handling a load of this magnitude, commercial hand trucks simply are not designed to carry such loads. Additionally, the ammunition pallets have a low center of gravity. This makes them more difficult to move, with a hand truck, than a load of equal weight with the center of gravity situated higher on the load. It is well known that when using conventional hand trucks, the loaded truck must be pivoted rearward until the center of gravity of the load is behind the axle of the truck. This allows the truck to carry most of the weight of the load and positions the truck so that it can be easily maneuvered. However, when the center of gravity is very low, the hand truck must be pivoted much further rearwardly before the weight transfers behind the truck axle. This forces the operator to bend forward into an unnatural position, making it much more difficult to move the heavily loaded truck.